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SEC players get ample opportunity to right wrongs

Tony Tsoukalas Special to the Advertiser
Published 11:19 p.m. CT July 16, 2016

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Alabama coach Nick Saban said he would likely not suspend offensive lineman Cam Robinson for the Crimson Tide’s season opener against Southern California on Sept. 3. Robinson was arrested May 17 arrest on a felony charge of possession of a stolen gun and misdemeanor possession of marijuana at Forsythe Park in Monroe, La.(Photo: Mickey Welsh/Advertiser file)Buy Photo

The topics of second chances and discipline were brought up regularly at the SEC media days, as conference coaches shared their thoughts and policies on how to manage players.

Much of the attention centered around Mississippi State incoming freshman Jeffrey Simmons, who was arrested for simple assault in March. The incident was caught on camera and showed Simmons hitting a woman multiple times on the ground.

Simmons, a five-star defensive lineman, was suspended one game by Mississippi State, a punishment that came under heavy criticism by many for being too light.

“You have to have a great investigation into what happened, into getting as many details from as many people as you possibly can, to make good decisions,” Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said. “You are responsible in a very high profile position. You want to make sure that everybody in the university is involved. It’s not a football decision. It is a university decision.”

Previously, Alabama head coach Nick Saban came under fire after he allowed former Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor to transfer to the program in 2015, even though the lineman was facing domestic violence charges.

The second chance backfired. Taylor was arrested again after enrolling to Alabama, leading the SEC to adopt a new policy that prevents conference schools from accepting transfer students with histories of domestic violence or sexual assault.

On Monday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was asked what the difference between a team accepting a transfer with a history of domestic violence compared to taking in a freshman with the same issues.

“When someone enrolls in college, they are generally an adult,” Sankey said. “You expect that you’ll have access to more consistent information on which to base decisions. And so we as a group said let’s go further on the transfer issue. They have been adults on the university campus, and that misbehavior is viewed as rising to a higher level of attention.”

Sankey also addressed how some schools have dealt with sexual assaults. Tennessee recently reached a $2.48 million settlement in a lawsuit about sexual assaults involving student-athletes and eight women.

“We have talked as a conference about expectations, reality, around how legal expectations play out, and we’ll continue to do that,” Sankey said. “I think if you heard the activities the last month remind us that we even need to be more attentive and with the settlement that was announced and some of the commentary about changes at the University of Tennessee, there’s a communication opportunity there to help educate on those changes.”

Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said the team has brought in 70-plus speakers to educate players on sexual assault incidents and believes the team has been “very proactive” on the issue.

“You’re talking to an individual who has grown up in a law enforcement household, so I understand the importance of that,” Jones said. “But this is something that’s very, very serious that, you know, is a part of society. And it’s our job as coaches to continue to educate them. And it’s a big part of our educational package at the University of Tennessee.”

Saban, who wasn’t asked about the May arrests of juniors Cam Robinson and Laurence Hootie Jones, watched as things heated up on Wednesday.

Paul Finebaum criticized Saban on air for revealing Wednesday that he would likely not suspend All-SEC offensive left tackle Cameron Robinson of West Monroe High (Louisiana) for the Crimson Tide’s season opener against USC on Sept. 3 despite Robinson’s May 17 arrest on a felony charge of possession of a stolen gun and misdemeanor possession of marijuana at Forsythe Park in Monroe, La.

Saban told reporters that if Robinson and Jones continue to progress in their community service tasks, they will be available for Alabama’s opener against Southern California on Sept. 3.

“I don’t really care to answer the critics,” Saban said. “I wanted to do what’s right for the players. If the players really did anything that wrong, they would have got charged with something.”

Saban went on to say that people are innocent until proven guilty and accused Finebaum of convicting the players in the media.

“I’m not going to convict them in public,” Saban said. “You said I was going to get criticized by you and the public and the media because I’m not going to suspend them. I don’t really care. That’s the end of the conversation.”

First-year Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has had to deal with his fair share of disciplinary issues as well. Since Smart took the head coaching job, Georgia players have been involved in seven arrests.

The latest incident occurred last Sunday morning, when defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter was arrested and charged with a DUI and underage possession of alcohol after he was found asleep at the wheel of his car which was still running.

Smart said Ledbetter will face suspension this season, but didn’t specify the length of the punishment. Cornerback Chad Clay and defensive end Chauncey Rivers have already been kicked off the team due to arrests.

“We’ve had five guys that have been arrested,” Smart said. “Two are no longer with us. I hate that for them, but our team has moved on. It’s very important that we don’t make the same mistakes twice. That’s a big part of improvement. We’ll do everything we can possibly and plenty of support from our athletic department to put things in place to help our players not to make those same mistakes again.”

Second chances have not always failed, however.

Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara, who transferred to the Volunteers after facing multiple disciplinary suspensions at Alabama and an arrest for driving with a suspended learner’s permit in 2014, has now taken a leadership role with his new team.

Kamara was voted a team captain by Tennessee players and has performed a 180 with the Vols according to Jones.

“Alvin was one of those individuals, when he came to Knoxville, all he did was be quiet and work,” Jones said. “He earned the respect of his peers immediately by his work ethic. He’ll tell you he learned so much from his previous stops, his previous experiences. And he’s really applied that to the biggest game, and that’s the game of life.”